The Andromeda Evolution

by Michael Crichton, Daniel H. Wilson

Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Fifty years after The Andromeda Strain made Michael Crichton a household name—and spawned a new genre, the technothriller—the threat returns, in a gripping sequel that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant.

The Evolution is Coming.

In 1967, an extraterrestrial microbe came crashing down to Earth and nearly ended the human race. Accidental exposure to the particle—designated The Andromeda Strain—killed every resident of the town of Piedmont, Arizona, save for an elderly man and an infant boy. Over the next five days, a team of top scientists assigned to Project Wildfire worked valiantly to save the world from an epidemic of unimaginable proportions. In the moments before a catastrophic nuclear detonation, they succeeded.

In the ensuing decades, research on the microparticle continued. And the world thought it was safe…

Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity—until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.

With this shocking discovery, the next-generation Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat.

But the microbe is growing—evolving. And if the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062473295
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	11/17/2020
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	95,735
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was the author of the bestselling novels The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Prey, State of Fear, Next and Dragon Teeth, among many others. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, have been translated into forty languages, and have provided the basis for fifteen feature films. He wrote and directed Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway, Looker, Coma and created the hit television series ER. Crichton remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year.

Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis, as well as ten other books. He recently wrote the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. Wilson earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as master’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents. Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon.

Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis, as well as ten other books, including How to Survive a Robot Uprising, Guardian Angels & Other Monsters, and The Clockwork Dynasty. He recently wrote the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. In 2008, Wilson hosted "The Works," a television series airing on the History Channel that uncovered the science behind everyday stuff. He earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as master’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents. Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

October 23, 1942

Date of Death:

November 4, 2008

Place of Birth:

Chicago, Illinois

Place of Death:

Los Angeles, California

Education:

B.A.. in Anthropology, Harvard University, 1964; M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1969

Website:

http://www.michaelcrichton.net/

Editorial Reviews

The Andromeda Evolution is both a kick-ass sequel and a loving tribute to one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. Daniel H. Wilson has taken up Crichton’s mantle and reinvented the techno-thriller, by continuing the tale that invented that genre. This is a meticulously crafted adventure story, packed with action, mystery, wonder, and just enough hard science to scare the hell out of you. So good!” — Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One

“Ingenious…. Wilson is a good choice for carrying the master’s work forward….The episodes set in outer space are particularly thrilling…. Would make Crichton proud.” — Washington Post

“Superb…. There’s a shock or a cliff-hanger every few pages, all rigorously controlled. Believe it or not, it’s even better than the original.” — Wall Street Journal

“Wilson has perfectly captured the suspense of the original.” — Newsday

“Compelling…. An infectious evolution of the Michael Crichton literary legacy…. The cast of diverse characters engage the head and heart as they struggle to save humanity, yet remain quite human …. Explodes with an unexpected, gripping, cinematic finale.” — USA Today

“An atmospheric and often terrifying roller-coaster ride with (literally) sky-high stakes that pays plenty of homage to The Andromeda Strain while also echoing the spirit and mood of Crichton's other works…. A thrilling and satisfying sequel to the 1969 classic.” — Kirkus, starred review

“Terrific…. Deftly blends science, suspense, and character interaction in a way that will be familiar to Crichton’s fans…. In every way, this is a wonderful sequel to a classic novel, written in the spirit of Crichton but in Wilson’s own powerful voice.” — Booklist, starred review

“Wilson confidently captures the voice of the late Crichton in this chilling sequel to the 1969 blockbuster The Andromeda Strain … [and] employs his expertise to add depth and credibility to the advanced technology the scientists use…. Fans of the original techno-thriller won’t be disappointed.” — Publishers Weekly

“An edge-of-your-seat thrill ride.” — Bookreporter

From the Publisher

The Andromeda Evolution is both a kick-ass sequel and a loving tribute to one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written. Daniel H. Wilson has taken up Crichton’s mantle and reinvented the techno-thriller, by continuing the tale that invented that genre. This is a meticulously crafted adventure story, packed with action, mystery, wonder, and just enough hard science to scare the hell out of you. So good!

Ernest Cline

An edge-of-your-seat thrill ride.

Bookreporter

Wilson has perfectly captured the suspense of the original.

Newsday

Compelling…. An infectious evolution of the Michael Crichton literary legacy…. The cast of diverse characters engage the head and heart as they struggle to save humanity, yet remain quite human …. Explodes with an unexpected, gripping, cinematic finale.

USA Today

Compelling…. An infectious evolution of the Michael Crichton literary legacy…. The cast of diverse characters engage the head and heart as they struggle to save humanity, yet remain quite human …. Explodes with an unexpected, gripping, cinematic finale.

USA Today

10/14/2019

Wilson confidently captures the voice of the late Crichton (1942–2008) in this chilling sequel to the 1969 blockbuster The Andromeda Strain. Over 50 years ago, the deadly, alien Andromeda Strain nearly wiped out a small Arizona town. When Project Eternal Vigilance, put in place in the wake of the first breakout, detects an anomaly in the Amazon, a team of five scientists is sent to investigate. The scientists—among them astronaut Sophie Kline, who has paraplegia, and roboticist James Stone, whose famous father was involved in the first Andromeda incident—trek into the Brazilian jungle to study the outbreak and contain it as quickly as possible, only to discover that the Andromeda Strain has evolved into something even more deadly. The investigation, told partially via reconstructed transcripts, interviews, and descriptions of video footage, unfurls over the course of five action-packed days. Wilson, a roboticist himself, employs his expertise to add depth and credibility to the advanced technology the scientists use, trusting the reader to keep up with his technical terminology. Fans of the original techno-thriller won’t be disappointed. Agent: Jay Mandel and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, WME. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Terrific…. Deftly blends science, suspense, and character interaction in a way that will be familiar to Crichton’s fans…. In every way, this is a wonderful sequel to a classic novel, written in the spirit of Crichton but in Wilson’s own powerful voice.

starred review Booklist

Superb…. There’s a shock or a cliff-hanger every few pages, all rigorously controlled. Believe it or not, it’s even better than the original.

Wall Street Journal

Ingenious…. Wilson is a good choice for carrying the master’s work forward….The episodes set in outer space are particularly thrilling…. Would make Crichton proud.

Washington Post

Ingenious…. Wilson is a good choice for carrying the master’s work forward….The episodes set in outer space are particularly thrilling…. Would make Crichton proud.

Washington Post

Superb…. There’s a shock or a cliff-hanger every few pages, all rigorously controlled. Believe it or not, it’s even better than the original.

Wall Street Journal

Wilson has perfectly captured the suspense of the original.

Newsday

Terrific…. Deftly blends science, suspense, and character interaction in a way that will be familiar to Crichton’s fans…. In every way, this is a wonderful sequel to a classic novel, written in the spirit of Crichton but in Wilson’s own powerful voice.

starred review Booklist

Ingenious…. Wilson is a good choice for carrying the master’s work forward….The episodes set in outer space are particularly thrilling…. Would make Crichton proud.

Washington Post

Compelling…. An infectious evolution of the Michael Crichton literary legacy…. The cast of diverse characters engage the head and heart as they struggle to save humanity, yet remain quite human …. Explodes with an unexpected, gripping, cinematic finale.

USA Today

Superb…. There’s a shock or a cliff-hanger every few pages, all rigorously controlled. Believe it or not, it’s even better than the original.

Wall Street Journal

06/01/2019

It's been 50 years since Michael Crichton remade our sf expectations with The Andromeda Strain. Now Wilson, the New York Times best-selling author of Robopocalypse and Robogenesis, offers a sequel. With a 750,000-copy first printing.

Library Journal

★ 2019-11-25
Over 50 years after an extraterrestrial microbe wiped out a small Arizona town, something very strange has appeared in the Amazon jungle in Wilson's follow-up to Crichton's The Andromeda Strain.

The microparticle's introduction to Earth in 1967 was the disastrous result of an American weapons research program. Before it could be contained, Andromeda killed all but two people in tiny Piedmont, Arizona; during testing after the disaster, AS-1 evolved and escaped into the atmosphere. Project Eternal Vigilance was quickly set up to scan for any possible new outbreaks of Andromeda. Now, an anomaly with "signature peaks" closely resembling the original Andromeda Strain has been spotted in the heart of the Amazon, and a Wildfire Alert is issued. A diverse team is assembled: Nidhi Vedala, an MIT nanotechnology expert born in a Mumbai slum; Harold Odhiambo, a Kenyan xenogeologist; Peng Wu, a Chinese doctor and taikonaut; Sophie Kline, a paraplegic astronaut and nanorobotics expert based on the International Space Station; and, a last-minute addition, roboticist James Stone, son of Dr. Jeremy Stone from The Andromeda Strain. They must journey into the deepest part of the jungle to study and hopefully contain the dire threat that the anomaly seemingly poses to humanity. But the jungle has its own dangers, and it's not long before distrust and suspicion grip the team. They'll need to come together to take on what waits for them inside a mysterious structure that may not be of this world. Setting the story over the course of five days, Wilson (Robopocalypse, 2011, etc.) combines the best elements of hard SF novels and techno-thrillers, using recovered video, audio, and interview transcripts to shape the narrative, with his own robotics expertise adding flavor and heft. Despite a bit of acronym overload, this is an atmospheric and often terrifying roller-coaster ride with (literally) sky-high stakes that pays plenty of homage to The Andromeda Strain while also echoing the spirit and mood of Crichton's other works, such as Jurassic Park and Congo. Add more than a few twists and exciting set pieces (especially in the finale) to the mix, and you've got a winner.

A thrilling and satisfying sequel to the 1969 classic.

Kirkus Reviews